Work machines can include a class of vehicles built to perform tasks such as construction, mining, harvesting, and various agricultural operations. These work machines can include, or can be configured with, one or more operating member (e.g., hardware are tools such as a gripper, a bucket, a blade, a boom, etc.) to perform functions in furtherance of these tasks. An operating member can be actuated by one or more electrically controlled hardware devices, such as motors, pumps, solenoids, and other actuators. A typical work machines can include one or more electronic controller (e.g., an electronic control module) that maps input available to a work machine operator to control signals that drive these hardware devices, and thus control the actuation of a given operating member. These electronic controllers can also interface with other input devices to control other operations of a work machine, such as navigation through screens of a software application, or the collection or tracking of statistical information related to the operation of the work machine or a task in which an operator of the work machine is currently engaged.
A given work machine can have one or more input devices that are configured (e.g., disposed in physical hardware within a control area of the work machine, such as a cabin of the work machine, and mapped through an electronic controller to control the actuation of a selected electrically controlled hardware device) to improve the utility of the work machine, such as by enabling an operator to conveniently control one or more operating members. While one configuration of input devices can be convenient for one operator of a work machine, the same configuration can be inconvenient for a different operator of the same work machine. Consequently, there is a need to enable operators of a given work machine to freely configure the input devices, such as to enable a selected input device to be mapped to control two or more different functions or tool of the work machine.
One technique of enabling an operator to map input devices of a work machine to selected functions or hardware elements is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,069,131 B2 as issued to Kim et. al. on Jun. 27, 2006 (hereinafter, the '131 patent). The '131 patent discloses a technique for enabling a driver of a construction vehicle to change the relationships between on/off switches and driving units for driving work equipment coupled to a construction vehicle. The relationships between the on/off switches and the driving units are changeable using a text driven user interface. Changes to the relationships are store in a memory associated with an electronic controller.
The disclosed systems and method are directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above, or in other techniques for mapping input, or control, devices to control functions of a work machine.